Last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new law. It bans social media accounts for children under 14 and requires parental permission for teenagers aged 14 and 15.
On one hand, it is good to see governments worldwide realizing they must act to protect children. Old laws that simply filter content are not enough anymore because children today spend more time using apps than browsing websites.
However, we must ask: Will this law actually work?
The Limit of Bans
There is already a law in the USA banning social media for children under 13, but it is not enforced well. Kids still find ways to create accounts. Therefore, simply raising the age limit or adding more restrictions might not be the real solution.
I watched an interview with Governor DeSantis, and he clearly cares deeply about this issue. However, he mentioned that his own children are young and do not have phones yet. This might mean he hasn’t yet experienced the real-world challenge parents face once their child owns a personal device.
The Reality: Social Media is Here to Stay
We cannot ignore social media. Even if we delay giving our kids smartphones, they will eventually join these platforms. Social media offers many benefits, but it also comes with risks.
We need to treat this like road safety. We don’t forbid children from ever going outside; instead, we teach them how to cross the street safely. We need to offer the same guidance for the digital world.
A Better Solution: Empowering Parents
In my opinion, regulation shouldn’t just be about banning access. It should focus on encouraging tools that help parents guide and protect their children.
Here are three areas we should focus on:
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Parent Education: We must teach parents about the specific dangers of social networks, such as cyberbullying, grooming (predators), and dangerous trends. Parents also need to know that tools exist to help them stay involved and keep their kids safe.
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Motivating Tech Companies: We should encourage communication companies and social networks to build better child protection tools. This should be done through positive rewards, not just punishment. If we only threaten companies with fines, they might choose cheap, low-quality solutions. We want them to aim for effectiveness.
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Balancing Privacy and Safety: This is a big challenge. Mobile systems like iOS (Apple) and Android are built to protect user privacy. This is usually good, but it often blocks child safety apps from seeing the data they need to identify danger. We need new standards that protect a child’s privacy while still allowing parents to be alerted when their child is at risk.
Moving Forward
At PureSight, we have spent many years solving child safety issues on digital platforms. We are eager to work with organizations around the world to create a safer digital environment for our children.
